According to veteran policeman he will restructure the Bonaire force
Jan van der Straten will serve as High Commissioner for 6 to 12 months
He has an agreement with the Bonaire police union so he doesn’t understand the conflict
Bon Dia
12/22/2005

ORANJESTAD – As long as the country decision is not signed and in his hands, Jan vd Straten does not plan to start his new job in Bonaire as High Commissioner of the island of flamingos. Jan vd Straten said this to Bon Dia Aruba yesterday in an exclusive interview.

He confirmed the Bon Dia Aruba news that he will be the next chief of police of Bonaire and said that while he accepted this job, Aruba remains his home.

REQUEST FOR VD STRATEN
It was 2 to 3 years ago that the Antilles made the first attempt to seek vd Straten to work in Bonaire. “But my contract (in Aruba) was to end in August 15, 2005, so there wasn’t a possibility to go”, vd Straten said to this publication. He will procure to finalize this re-organization in Aruba first. After the invitation from the current Minister of Justice of the Anitlles, David Dick, he accepted the position. It was after two months passed that he spoke to his colleague and current Bonaire police chief Gerold Daantje.

WORKING TOGETHER
Here, they spoke about how they’re going to work together to see how vd Straten can work in Bonaire to prepare the police force in a new way and establish a relationship with Holland. While Daantje shared his opinion about the functioning in Bonaire, he expressed his preference to continue to study IT via a study task of the government of the US. As such, he came to an agreement with Minister Dick to leave Bonaire.

COUNTRY DECIDES
Once the country decision is made and in vd Straten’s hands, in what relates to his new function, he has to write a letter to Holland to postpone the payment of his pension for 6 to 12 months, which is the duration of his contract with Bonaire. The reason is that during this time, vd Straten will prepare the position for another person who has to assume the role as commissioner. The intention is to work on some project that will procure more security for the people of Bonaire, something that vd Straten considers an assured challenge.

UPSET IN THE FORCE
The fact that there is mention of an upset among members of the Bonaire police force with the arrival of vd Straten, is no very comprehensible for the former police commissioner of Aruba. This is because, according to the veteran policeman, he had a good understanding with the Bonaire police union. “It has always been my opinion that you have to care about these things that are very regulated for my colleagues. Then vd Straten will come”, the former commissioner continues to say. “That is an agreement with the union that they said to me 2 months ago. They assured me that they didn’t have a problem with anything”, vd Straten continued to say, reiterating that these issues have to be solved. “Van der Straten will not go work in a place where a colleague is already sitting as police chief”, vd Straten said.

STARTING DATE
The initial date mentioned for the police veteran to start his new position in Bonaire, according to Minister David Dick, is the 1st of January, 2006. But in practice, it seems that this will be a little later. “This is the main point. But everything has to be settled” vd Straten continued to say. He will not base it on a verbal agreement nor on a written one, but on a country decision.

“It is on a letter from the Minister that they will be in full agreement, but for me it has to be a country agreement to delay my pension”, vd Straten said. About the question that if he is asked to extend his permanency in Bonaire after a year, he categorically said no. “I am willing to work between 6 and 12 months in Bonaire. However, do not forget that I am retired. And my heart is in Aruba. I like working in Bonaire, but until now I live very well in Aruba” vd Straten finally said.